Chapter 24
Opal knocked at Ruby’s door and entered. “That was some party."
Ruby placed the loupe on the black velvet mat in front of her, not in the mood to discuss her wedding reception with her cousin but knowing Opal wouldn't leave until she did.
She'd managed to hide away in her workshop all afternoon, part avoidance, part comfort. She needed a lot of comforting today.
"Yeah, it went pretty well."
Opal leaned against the desk and folded her arms. "Jax is smitten."
Ruby swallowed a snort. The only thing smiting Jax was his love of business.
"Everyone was talking about how cosy you two looked on the dance floor." Opal paused, worrying her bottom lip. "Probably a good thing, because they spent the first half of the evening doubting the validity of your secret nuptials but you had most of them swooning by the end of the night."
Ruby shrugged. "I don't care what the snobs think, never have."
A blatant lie. She cared. If Melbourne’s elite didn't accept her new husband and welcome him into their world to secure his business, he'd walk, and take her chance at saving Seaborn with him.
He'd renege on their deal, she had no doubt, if he didn't get what he wanted out of it. Ruthless businessmen wouldn’t tolerate failure. He'd been on the verge of scuttling their deal last night before she'd distracted him with her auction idea. And the phenomenal sex.
She had to focus on facts. They had a marriage based on mutual monetary gain and a physical attraction, nothing more. She'd lapsed into fanciful wishes during sex, thinking she'd glimpsed more. As if, Jax wouldn't dare let his guard down and this morning he'd reverted to cool and commanding.
He had no interest in getting to know her beyond the superficial and while she should be happy about it, she'd moved past delusional.
She should've known she couldn’t wake next to a warm body after sharing her troubles with him, and remain immune.
Her fatal mistake had been telling him the truth this morning.
They'd been driving back from Crown Towers and he'd asked her how people had accepted their marriage. She could've lied but she didn't. She'd been the brunt of a lie by omission—thanks to Sapphire keeping Mum's confidence the last year—and it sucked.
Besides, considering Denver had embezzled millions from his friends, she'd hazard a guess Jax hated lies.
So she'd told him the truth.
How people were suspicious of their marriage and what motivated it, how they were reluctant to trust him because of his father's sins.
Jax had taken it surprisingly well. Then again, it would've come as no shock, considering he'd been fobbed off repeatedly when he'd tried to set up vital business meetings.
By the time he'd dropped her off here, his expression had been as black as his mood.
Wait until he heard her news.
"Want to talk about it?" Opal asked.
Ruby shook her head, wishing every emotion didn't play out across her face like a feature movie.
"Thanks, Opal, I appreciate the offer, but I'm busy."
She turned back to her workbench, hoping her cousin would get the hint.
She didn't.
Opal leaned in closer. "What are you working on?"
"A canary diamond parare. I've finished the necklace and partially done the earrings, with the brooch and bracelet to go."
Opal hooked the necklace, her favourite dog collar style, and held it up to the light, the brilliant cut diamonds refracting the light. "Wow, Rubes, you just get better and better."
"Would be better if I had a pre-order for it," she muttered, making a mental note to return the twelve phone messages Opal had left on her desk earlier.
It had been a long time since she'd received five phone calls a day, let alone twelve. She assumed it might be the gossipmongers from last night wanting the low-down on her marriage, but what if they were orders?
Unfortunately, she knew those calls wouldn't be from the event planner she'd met with this afternoon to organise the auction, the same one who had turned up his nose at her proposal.
"Damn, I almost forgot." Opal replaced the necklace on the velvet and snapped her fingers. "You've been commissioned for a pink diamond engagement ring. White gold, fantasy cut, three carat."
Ruby whistled. "Did you quote a price?"
Opal nodded, her grin superior. "Yep, and they didn't baulk or quibble. Placed the order on the spot."
"Wow."
Ironic, if she had to choose an engagement ring, she'd go for the same thing. She loved the fantasy cut, faceting stones using freeform angles. It freed her creativity in a way nothing else did, and to work on a pink diamond of that size with the option to do whatever she wanted…
She could see the design in her imagination, utilising a brilliant cut to maximise the stone's natural fire.
A stone of exceptional clarity, minimal inclusions.
Maybe a claw setting, white gold prongs gripping the stone without metal underneath to highlight the stone itself.
Or perhaps a Tiffany setting, high six-pronged?
Opal laughed and tapped her on the shoulder. "I can see you're already imagining what this ring looks like, so I'll leave you to it."
"When do they need the ring by?"
Opal's smiled faded. "Uh… a pretty short timeline. I agreed to it because I know we need the work."
"How long?"
"Two weeks?"
"That's ridiculous—"
"Will it help if I burn the midnight oil alongside you? I'll bring you coffee and muffins and those white-choc brownies you love."
Ruby shouldn't be complaining. The sale of this ring would take Seaborn one step further out of the red and heading towards the black.
"Fine. Arrange a fitting."
Opal shook her head. "No can do. The guy said it had to be a surprise. He gave me the lucky girl's sizing, and said that would have to do."
Ruby frowned. "You know I don't like working on mega pieces like this without ensuring the sizing is right from the start."
"I told him, but the surprise was a deal-breaker…"
Stupid romantics. As long as this guy didn't come whining to her when his bride-to-be didn't like the design or the ring didn't fit.
"No worries, I'll just have to make this the best ring ever," she said, giving Opal a gentle shove in the direction of the door. "Now scoot, I've got work to do."
Opal left, but though Ruby tried to concentrate on putting the final touches on the dog collar, ensuring the short, multi-strand choker sat flat, she couldn't help but think about the pink diamond engagement ring and how she wished she had a guy who loved her enough to surprise her with something similar.